Fly, Fight, Win
by dariuscross
Summary: When Castle receives a phone call, his teams view of him will change forever (another AU multi chapter Disclaimer: I do not own Castle)
1. Chapter 1

Castle was sitting in the bullpen at the 12th, next to him his partner Kate Beckett.

They sit side by side on the edge of her desk looking over the murder board.

It's looking to be a complex case and it makes everyone groan.

They've had four back to back cases two of them overlapping and they're all ready to go home and sleep for a few days.

He's about to ask if she wants some more coffee when his cell rings, he's relaxed and casual till he sees who it is then he stands up ridged and answers as he walks into a conference room. Curious Beckett, Espo and Ryan follow

* * *

Castle's standing by the back wall of the conference room, his voice a military tone as he talks

"Yes sir. yes sir. I understand sir. What time and where? I understand sir. I'll be ready sir"

Then he hangs up and hangs his head with a heavy sigh, he turns around to meet three pairs of confused eyes

"Kevin grab my lap top then everyone in and close the door"

He watches as Ryan does just that then moves over and 'locks' the door via blocking it with a chair before sitting down and working through a complex series of sites while he talks

"I suppose I never mentioned that I was in the air force"

all three of them get wide eyes, speechless

"Eight years" he spins the laptop and pushes it towards them, his military record now on the screen

"I'm not active duty anymore but I do get called back for... special missions"

he clears his throat and watches as Espo scans the records, his face slack with disbelief

"Dude I heard about you when I was in Special Ops... you're Sandman?"

Castle just nods, the other two look at Espo shocked.

Espo just talks "Sandman is a legend in the services. Never been shot down, has completed the most missions a good half of them considered to be suicide missions. He's largely responsible for ending Desert Storm"

Castle clears his throat again

"Don't give me too much credit Espo, all wars are a group effort no one person deserves more credit than the next and yes I have been shot down, twice. It's in the record there"

Beckett's eyes dart from side to side taking in the information slowly, she'd only gotten engaged to her boyfriend Tom yesterday and now her partner and the man she really loves is telling her this? When it sinks in she raises her head

"You're being called back..."

Castle just nods in response.

* * *

Beckett swallows a rock as Espo looks up from the records he was reading

"When do you leave?"

Castle scratches the side of his head

"I have to be on base ready to go by 1400 tomorrow"

Beckett's mind is going on overdrive, two pm tomorrow isn't enough time she has so much to say and do.

Her thoughts are interrupted by Castle

"I'll send letter cd's and I'll be able to make facetime calls if there's downtime. I don't know how long I'll be gone... but I should get home and start packing my gear"

He reaches over to the laptop and presses print

"Make sure you don't leave that laying around Espo, you know the routine"

Espo just nods then he and Ryan slip out leaving Beckett and Castle alone.

He blocks the door again then sits next to her "Kate?"

Beckett looks up, her brow furrowed and the vein in her forehead that shows when she's distressed is showing like a neon sign

"Espo said they send you on suicide missions?"

Castle nods "Hazards of being the best fighter pilot, you get the shit jobs" he said with a serious voice, no humor in sight.

Beckett reaches over and takes his hand

"We've had our rough patches Rick but you're one of my best friends. Come back okay?"

Castle smiles and squeezes her hand

"That's the plan Kate. If you want to see me off in the morning come by round nine okay?"

Beckett nods, she has work tomorrow but she plans on telling the captain she'll be late

"I'll be there"

he smiles again then leans forward and kissing her cheek before standing up, gathering his laptop and slipping out leaving Beckett sitting there with her eyes closed fighting tears that so desperately want to fall.

Her heart has never hurt so much in her life

* * *

When Beckett arrives the next morning Castle's in uniform.

The sight arouses her like nothing ever has before but it's tempered by the knowledge that he's leaving.

Alexis has already said her goodbyes and left for school, Martha off to distract herself at rehearsals.

So it's just Castle and Beckett.

Castle smooths his hand over his newly shaved head and looks at the floor a moment

"Hey Kate, I'm glad you made it"

Beckett's voice is quiet as she stands in front of him, one hand on his chest

"of course, I wouldn't let you leave without..."

Castle nods quietly

"I have enough blank cd's packed to keep you in letters for a while. You'll get so many it'll be like I never left"

he says weakly, one hand moving out and tucking some hair behind her ear then brushes his fingers over her cheek.

This all so hard because he wants nothing more than to kiss and hold her, but she's not his.

"I'll facetime as often as I can too"

his sad eyes meeting her teary ones for a long moment before she suddenly steps into him and hugs him tight, her face tucking into his neck.

He closes his eyes and hugs her like it's the last time he'll see her

"I'll miss you too, so much, you have no idea"

Beckett sniffles a little, no intention of letting go until she has to

"I wish we had more time before you have to leave, give us time to prepare..."

Castle sighs softly and nods

"I know Kate, I wish that too but it can't be helped"

He closes his eyes and presses his cheek to the top of her head

"Take care of yourself Kate and be happy, that's all I ever wanted for you"

Her breath shudders as he speaks as though he isn't coming back but she pushes the thought away

"You too Rick, be safe and come back quickly"

He smiles giving her one more good squeeze before bending over and grabbing his duffel bag.

He takes a deep breath "walk me out?"

Beckett's hugging her arms around her middle as she nods forcing a small smile.

They walk together down to the sidewalk in front of his building, the silence awkward

"Well, this is it"

Beckett watches the sidewalk for a moment before looking up into his eyes

"Yeah I guess so"

He gazes into her gorgeous hazel eyes for a moment then leans down and gives her a tender kiss on the lips that lasts a few seconds longer than it should, his voice a whisper

"I wanted to do that just once... just in case"

Then he kisses her cheek leaving her breathless.

he goes to turn and she catches his arm, before he can blink she draws him into an anguished slow kiss complete with tongue saying the words 'goodbye' the only way she can.

A minute passes seamlessly before she breaks the kiss, strokes his cheek a few times then jogs to her cruiser to go.

He watches after her with a heavy heart then gets into a taxi and leaves


	2. Chapter 2

It's two weeks before anyone at the precinct hears from Castle and it's in the form of two cd's labeled one and two. Beckett, Espo and Ryan gather round Beckett's computer as she puts the first disc in. When she hits play there's Castle in his flight suit smiling for the camera

 _"Hey guys, sorry I didn't send one of these sooner I had to do some training to knock the rust out of my wheels. It didn't take much really, it never does. Not much going on that I can talk about really. Running drills, goofing off with the guys, sleeping when I can. Life in the military I guess. I've told the squad a lot about you guys so they decided to be cute and make a video of me running drills, walking around, goofing off. Hopefully you'll find it as amusing to watch as they did making it"_

 _He looks down at his hands for a long minute before talking again_

 _"I'll tell you this, I'd rather be there catching murderers than bobbing around on this carrier. The glare off the water is deadly all on it's own. Not to mention the sharks just swimming around waiting for someone to fall overboard, it's like something out of Jaws"_

 _he laughs softly but not his normal jovial laugh_

 _"I hope you're all staying safe, I don't want to come home and find out one of you got knocked off in a mob hit or something. I got to do a facetime call with Alexis the other day, I'm glad to hear that you three have been taking time to go visit with her and do things with her. It means a lot to me and even more to her. I appreciate the dinners with Mother also. Alexis's birthday is in two weeks, if I'm not back in time her presents are tucked on the top shelf of my closet. You'll have to get Espo to get them down since it's a high shelf. I'm sure you guys will plan something nice for her, if you do get my black card from mother. Money's no object when it comes to my little girl. I miss you all terribly, especially you Kate. It's not a good day if I haven't gotten your patented eye roll and glare. I even miss having my ear twisted"_

 _he laughs a little at that and shakes his head_

 _"Well I'll let you guys go watch that video the guys made I need to get out for more drills here soon. Take care and hopefully I'll be home soon"_

 _He raises his hand and clicks a button ending the video._

* * *

The three of them are smiling now, the first set of real smiles since he left.

They're all glad to see that he's safe for now. Beckett puts in the second CD and it takes all of five seconds to start laughing as 'I'm too Sexy' starts playing and the video shows Castle walking around the deck in his flight jacket with no shirt on under it and a pair of aviator sunglasses followed by what one would only assume to be Castle taking off from the flight deck in a jet.

it shows him pulling complicated maneuvers in the air for a minute before showing him landing and climbing out.

The next scene is clearly shore leave time as he and a few other guys are clearly drunk and dancing to the song playing looking all too happy and well drunk.

That scene literally spins away to reveal Castle doing pull ups in nothing but a pair of shorts and looking very focused at it until he drops, flexes his very muscled arm then kisses his bicep before winking at the camera.

The last scene has him climbing into a jet again and taking off

* * *

All three of them are laughing hysterically, the rest of the room hovering to see what's so funny.

They play it a few times so everyone can see it then finally putting it away.

Finally all three of them return to their desks and start writing letters back to him. Beckett takes her time with hers so it isn't just random garble

* * *

 _Dear Rick,_

 _The video was hilarious you'll have to thank your squad for us. Things here are pretty much routine, a lot of paperwork to do. Tom's still evading planning anything about the wedding, not that I'm surprised or anything. I'm definatly having second thoughts about this engagement but I need to take some time to decide for sure. We had a case the other day that you would have loved, we found a guy dressed as Emperor Palpatine dangling over a fire escape electrocuted. The killer turned out to be his son, he's more than a little crazy and believes he's Anakin Skywalker so he was sent off to Belleview for the rest of his life. He even had a chihuahua named Yoda, you'd have loved it really. I could hear you in the back of my head humming the Star Wars theme the whole time and you know you would've done it if you'd been here so don't try to deny it._

 _You don't have to thank me for spending time with Alexis, I love hanging out with her. She's a beautiful intelligent girl and you should be proud of her. She's handling this situation as well as can be expected I suppose. She's scared, we all are. You're way off someplace where we can't protect you doing dangerous things while sitting on god knows how many gallons of explosive fuel. But that's not news, I'm sure you already knew we'd all be afraid for you because we care, I care._

 _Espo has read over your missions list so many times the papers are dog eared. He's like a kid at Christmas and every time one of us is alone with him he starts retelling the legend version of one of your missions. I think he has a bad case of idol worship now, but don't let it go to your head because you're not going to be treated any differently out here just because you're an Ace._

 _Anyway, I need to get back to my paperwork before 1pp gets too pissy about the backlog. Take care of yourself and see you soon_

 _your partner always,_  
 _Kate_


	3. Chapter 3

For the next few weeks letters and CD's go back and forth every few days.

Beckett notices easily as the days go by how Castle's appearance is growing increasingly weary, his weight gradually dropping, the light in his eyes dimming the longer he's away from home.

The boys don't seem to notice, but they don't spend nearly as much time with him as she does.

She's brought out of her deep thoughts by the sound of her facetime ringing, she knows without looking who it is so she snags her phone and hurries into the conference room before she answers.

Once the button is pushed she's met with what she thinks is the most beautiful face there is, that of one Rick Castle

* * *

"Castle hey, it's great to see you!"

"It's great to see you too Kate, I've been looking forward to this for days. Last time I talked to Alexis and she told me to give you a turn next" he laughs with a grin "You were next anyway"

Beckett's grinning now as she sits in a chair "I'm glad she did, I've been missing my partner a lot lately. It's weird not having you here you know that?"

"it's good to know I'm appreciated. I miss you too Kate, we usually talk several times a day even if I'm not at the precinct and now we can't even text each other. In teen-speak I'm cut off from my BFF and it's making me crazy"

She laughs with him at how silly that sounds but she understands his meaning "yeah it's driving us all crazy. Espo has started calling Ryan Castle Jr because he's taken over the crazy theories in your absence, it's amusing to say the least"

"Oh really? They as good as mine?

"Nah he's still in training but it breaks the ice at least"

"at least there's that. I wish I was home, I don't enjoy this like I used to.. actually I hate it. I do what I gotta do and that's it at this point"

Beckett nods "I can tell, you've lost your boyish gleam and you're losing weight"

Castle sighs at that "It gets hot in the cockpit and sometimes I'm not hungry after a long run because of it. You can help fatten me up when I get home"

Beckett smiles but doesn't laugh "You can count on it Rick"

Castle looks over as someone yells at him that times up "Hey I gotta go Kate, I miss you say hi to the guys for me eh?"

"I miss you too and I will. Talk to you soon"

"Talk to you soon" Castle gives her one more smile then hangs up

* * *

Beckett sighs heavily dropping the phone on the table then combing her fingers through her hair.

Her emotions are all tangled up and she doesn't even begin to know how to untangle them.

She closes her eyes and pictures his tired face, her heart hurting at how much this is taking out of the man-child they've grown to love here at the 12th.

She just hopes that when he gets back that his youthful thirst for life will return with him.

She lets out a puff of air then grabs her phone and heads back to do more paperwork.


	4. Chapter 4

two months worth of CD's, facetime calls and letters later the air is thick at the 12th.

For reasons unknown all three of the detectives has had a bad feeling in their gut all day with no signs of what it could be until they hear the elevator ding and see Martha Rodgers walk out.

Without a word all three gather around her and lead her to the conference room and sit down.

Martha looks at the bundle in her hands then sets them in front of her, eyes teary as she gathers herself.

"Richard's fighter was shot down last night... he was able to eject but he wasn't found where they located his parachute but... there was blood on the chords"

Beckett's heart is lodged in her throat, her face one of disbelief and shock, the boys not faring much better

"So what does this mean Martha?" Beckett asks quietly.

Martha takes a shaky breath before answering "They gave me three scenarios for what could be happening. He wandered off and died. He immediately set off to try and make it to an American outpost or he was captured. As of this morning he's officially considered missing in action"

Her hands are shaking as she slides three cd's to the trio each labelled neatly with 'in case of m.i.a. status' with each of their names written on the sleeves. Beckett stares at the disc in front of her before looking to Martha

"He's strong Martha, he's probably en route to an outpost we have to keep faith in him"

Martha nods and gets a kleenex out of her purse

"I know he is Katherine, I'm doing the best I can to think positive. Alexis is devastated, she's locked herself in her room and refuses to come out. I can't blame her, I'd be doing the same if I hadn't promised Richard I'd keep you all informed if something like this happened"

Beckett reaches out and squeezes her hand

"We appreciate it Martha, you're a strong woman. Stronger than I am, I don't know that I'd be able to carry this news for very long without breaking"

Martha smiles and nods in gratitude before squeezing her hand good

"I need to get back to the loft, try to get Alexis to eat something. I'll keep you all up to date as best I can"

Beckett stands up with the boys, each of them giving Martha a tight hug then walking her out.

* * *

All three of them get the rest of the day off when they fill in the captain and the rest of the homicide department.

Beckett paces around her apartment, eyes going to the cd she has laying on the keyboard of her laptop.

She's afraid of what she'll find there yet she wants nothing more than to see what it is.

Finally she sits on the couch hard, grabs her laptop, throws the cd in and hits play before she can change her mind again.

From how he looks in the video, he recorded it the night before he left.

* * *

 _Hey Kate. If you're watching this then I've been shot down and in reality the chances of me returning are pretty bleak. There's so much I want to say, that I wanted to do with you but I guess now it's too late. I know that you're engaged to Tom but I need to be honest now. you asked me not long ago if I thought you should do it. I dodged the question by saying it was your choice but in reality... in truth... I don't think you should. You're a trophy to Tom, he flaunts your relationship every chance he can and has no respect for your privacy whatsoever from the things he tells people. You can do so much better than him, you deserve better than him. I wish it could be me, but you've made your feelings known plenty of times. It doesn't matter though because my heart doesn't care if you don't want me. I love you Kate, I have for a long time. I wish... so many things... so so many things. That I had the chance to hold you, kiss you, love you like you should be loved and cherished like the treasure you are. I wish I could give you the answers you need for your mother's case so you can have the closure you need. I wish I could give you children, a home, everlasting happiness... but in light of you seeing this I'm afraid I can't give you anything more than my love and my deepest hope that you find true happiness in life. I just want you to be happy Kate so be happy for me. I leave you with words directly from my heart Kate, I love you, I've always loved you, I will always love you... always_

* * *

By the first sentence Beckett is already crying, her heart aching more than even the night her mother died.

The walls protecting her heart evaporate as soon as he confesses his love and her fingers stroke his face on the screen.

Her sobs wracking her entire body by the time he finishes.

She shakily rewinds it and pauses it on his face before curling into a ball with her phone.

She texts Lanie with the simple words 'I need you, use your key' then she curls into herself hugging a couch pillow to her chest, eyes never leaving the screen of her laptop.

* * *

Lanie arrives a half hour later, having heard the news from Espo the text from Beckett chilled her to the bone.

She rushes into the apartment and finds her curled on the couch, cried out but staring at the video.

Lanie closes her eyes a moment then moves over and pulls Beckett upright before hugging her tight

"What'd he have to say?" she asks gently.

Beckett just reaches out and with a shaking hand hits the replay button then clings to Lanie as a lifeline as his words repeat.

When it finishes even Lanie is quietly crying as she closes the laptop and hugs Beckett to her.

She swallows a few times before speaking "He'll come back Kate, he's too strong and too in love with you to leave you permanently. But he's right you know, Tom doesn't love you anymore than you love Tom. You're a one and done girl, you need to do what your heart has been telling you to do for weeks and end it with him"

Beckett nods several times against her

"I know Lanie I know" she sniffles pathetically a few times before talking again

"The morning Castle left I went to see him off. Before he got into the cab he kissed me... said it was just once, just in case, but it was brief and... not as much as I wanted. I stopped him and gave him a real kiss... it felt so right, so natural... so good.

But he had to go and I'm with Tom so... when it ended I left and he left and..."

Lanie just listened to her confession, her heart hurting for her friend wishing so much that this wasn't happening, that Castle was safe and home.

But all she could do was hold her and reassure her that he'd be back, bad pennies always come back.

* * *

As another month passed it's Beckett who's losing weight this time.

She had ended things with Tom, who took it less than great, then she sank into a deep depression to the point that the captain put her on permanent paperwork duty.

Martha had relayed to them a week ago that his name had appeared on a list from one of the P.O.W. camps then a few days later she was told that the surveilance of the camp had said that the camp had gone up in flames and that most of the prisoners had escaped but hadn't been found yet.

She believed Martha when she said that Castle was alive 'a mother knows these things' she kept saying, Beckett believed that the piercing ache in her heart was a sign he was still alive aswell, that if he had died it would break and go cold.

It was these thin straws that she clung to to get through each day.


	5. Chapter 5

It had been a week since anyone had heard from Martha and none of them knew what to think of it.

She'd been religious about calling every other day since Castle went M.I.A. so the radio silence was unnerving.

It was late into the night, everyone had gone home except Beckett who just kept doing her paperwork at a sloth's pace.

When the elevator dinged she didn't even move, the days that she turned with hope of seeing him long gone.

It wasn't until a shaky, scabbed, casted hand set a travel mug of fresh hot coffee in the middle of her paperwork that she moved.

Her heart stopping in her chest as she looked up to see a haggard, beat up, half broken, but very much alive Castle standing next to her desk still in part of his uniform.

Neither say a word as their eyes meet, after what feels like eternity Beckett launches from her chair and kisses him with every feeling she's had pent up inside, her arms tight around his neck.

He returns the kiss with everything he has and holds her even though both his arms are casted, some ribs are taped and the rest of his multitude of injuries are complaining.

They kiss until oxygen is needed then she tucks her face into his neck and just cries. Castle hugs her to him, his cheek atop her head knowing there's no words that will suffice right now.

* * *

After several minutes Castle only spoke to ask one of the night shift guys to power down her computer, then he grabs her coat and purse.

It takes a little juggling but he gets everything held and the crutch he leaned against his chair under his arm without dislodging Beckett.

He keeps her close as they walk to the elevator, she finally lets go once the doors close.

She puts her jacket on then reaches up and touches his cut up face, her mouth open but no words coming out.

Castle's voice is soft "When we get to the loft you can check me head to toe I promise and no funny business unless you want to"

He winks but she's too emotional to laugh, her joy at seeing him alive tempered only by the fear that she's dreaming or hallucinating.

She manages a nod, then when the doors open they make their way out and catch a cab to the loft.

* * *

Once there he holds her hand with his fingers and leads her to the bathroom off his room.

His mother and Alexis asleep after a long day of reunion.

He stops in front of the mirror is where the light is the best then carefully sets her fingers to the buttons of his military long sleeved shirt.

She stops long enough to throw her jacket over Bobba Fett's face and hang her purse on his gun, then she shakily undoes his shirt.

Once she eases it off his arms she pulls his undershirt off too.

She gasps as the sight before her.

His torso is almost completely bruised, a multitude of stitched wounds mar the muscular flesh. her fingers are tender as they trace each wound, brush over each taped rib.

Tears are slowly spilling down her cheeks as she tugs open his belt and lets his slacks fall to the floor.

He steps out of his shoes and pants as Beckett crouches and traces the cuts on his legs and the ace wrap around his swollen sprained ankle.

She stands and slowly makes her way behind him and lets out a strangled sob seeing what's back there.

His back is riddled with stitches, the pattern clearly left from a lashing.

Her fingers barely touch a section of unmarred skin before she ducks around in front of him once more and presses to him in a hug. He raises his arms and holds her, his voice soft as he explains.

* * *

"I had just completed the final mission they needed me for and was on my way back to the carrier when I came under heavy fire. When they took out an engine I ejected and made it to ground only taking one round to the leg. I didn't have time to tend it, I knew I was approximately a hundred fifty miles away from the nearest outpost so I hit the ground running. I ran day and night, stopping only to catch my breath and drink some water when I could find it. When I couldn't run anymore I took refuge in a small cave in hopes they wouldn't find me. When the exhaustion took me it was deep so I didn't wake when they yanked me out and carted me to the camp. When I woke up I was tied to a chair"

he paused to kiss the top of her head, her entire body shaking with emotion

"I guess they never heard of the Geneva Convention because they started beating me for information immediately. I didn't utter a single word so after about twelve hours they gave up and dumped me in a cell. After sleeping for a good ten hours I got myself up and found that the lock on the cell was dead. I waited for the shift change then slipped out, opened all the doors to let everyone out then we lit the place up like a bonfire and ran as fast as we could. We got within twenty miles of the outpost before I fell behind, I stepped in a shallow hole and sprained my ankle. The pain was agonizing but I kept going. Once at the outpost I was airlifted to the hospital for treatment then flown home. I spent the day with Mother and Alexis then when they went to bed I went in search for you. You know what got me through it all?"

Beckett had been silent through it all, her voice barely there

"what Rick?"

Castle rubbed his hand over her back

"You, I knew Mother would have already given you the disc but even if she hadn't I couldn't leave you behind after you've lost so much already"

She raises her eyes to his and gazes for a long moment before stroking his bearded face.

She can't think of anything to say that her eyes aren't already saying so she just smiles.

* * *

After a few moments of silence she finally speaks

"sit down, lets get this hair off you"

her voice wavered a little but needing to do something more to assure that yes he's alive and yes he's standing there she gets a wash cloth and starts soaking down his beard once he sits.

He knows what she's doing so he doesn't argue with her.

He holds still as she carefully removed the hair from his face in short strokes.

It takes her forty five minutes to finish but once she's done she caresses her hand over the now smooth skin.

Her head tilts a little then without a word she opens her shirt and lets it fall to the ground quickly followed by her bra.

Castle's eyes are huge now, especially as the rest of her clothes drop off.

Once nude she walks over to his large tub and starts a bath complete with bubbles.

When she returns to him he's still silently staring making her blush crimson.

She distracts herself by looking over what she thought were casts but instead she finds are just heavy braces.

She carefully removes them then leads him to the tub stopping only to push his boxers off him.

With a little encouragement he gets into the tub and she follows sitting in his lap with her back against his chest.

She turns off the water then relaxes back, her hands grabbing his and pulling his arms around her.

* * *

It's another full minute before his trance is broken and he hugs her gently, his voice a whisper in her ear

"you're so beautiful Kate, so beautiful, with or without clothes"

he kisses the side of her head then presses his cheek there.

Her voice is quiet "Is this real? you're really here? I'm not dreaming?"

He rubs his hand over her stomach gently and takes a deep breath

"I'm really here Kate, I almost wasn't but I am and I told them I'm done. I signed the paperwork so I never will be called off like that again. you only have to worry about book tours now"

She moves slowly up onto her knees and turns in his lap so that she's straddling him, a few fresh tears on her cheeks as she takes his face in her hands.

Her voice stronger now as she says the words that she's said every night in her dreams since seeing the video "I love you too"


	6. Chapter 6

Their lips meet in a dance of slow passion, expressing everything each feels for the other.

They make love for the first time right there in the tub, their movements so slow and gentle that not a drop of water is sloshed over the side.

When they get out of the tub they spend well into the early morning hours kissing, touching, exploring one another as they make love over and over finally ending with Castle carefully on his back with Beckett tucked into his side.

Castle's voice is soft but sincere

"I never thought we'd actually get here, I was an ass and feared you'd never be able to forgive me for everything"

Beckett sighed, her fingers carefully stroking some skin between cuts

"I've forgiven you for everything a long time ago Rick, you've proven your loyalty time and again and I'm sorry it took something like this to get me here"

Castle closes his eyes for a long moment

"It's the silver lining to the nightmare, we get each other"

Beckett just nods, her mind toiling over several things that she's surprised aren't scaring her. As usual their minds are in sync when Castle speaks again

"I've seen that life is too short to not take chances, to not grab onto the one you love and go for it. Lets load into the car and go to Atlantic City, get married... tonight. Just dive right in and take our destiny into our own hands"

Beckett lifts up onto her elbow, her eyes studying his for a long minute before she grins and just nods. Castle's grin goes bright then they get up quickly, dress and rush out of the loft before they can change their minds.

* * *

The next morning Beckett's sitting at her desk actually smiling, in fact she's glowing, her mood actually bright and cheery especially when she glances at her left hand that now bears and engagement and a wedding ring.

She says nothing about it just waits to see how long it takes the boys to notice. It doesn't take them long, well not Ryan at least. He walks over to say good morning then ends up staring

"Beckett what's that?"

"What's what?"

"Those!"

"Those what?" She's feigning nonchalance but in reality she's dying laughing on the inside

He grunts in frustration "The rings!"

"What rings?"

He sputters a few times "The rings on your hand!"

"Oh these rings? she holds up her left hand and looks them over "well I'm sure you know what they are Ryan"

"But... what... who?"

Castle walks up behind him with a chuckle "That would be me" he sets Beckett's coffee and bear claw on the desk then grins at Ryan jumps a good foot in the air and stands slack jawed in shock

"I think you broke him Castle"

"I think so too" he said as he leaned down and gave her a kiss hello then sat carefully in his chair waiting for Ryan to come back from outer space

It takes two minutes but he finally comes back and shouts excitedly "Castle you're back! and you married Beckett!"

that alerts the entire pen not only his presence but what has happened.

Castle and Beckett laugh as her desk is descended upon by the locusts they call the homicide squad.

She's so glad she called Lanie quickly after the ceremony or she'd be dead meat later today.

They sit and talk with everyone since there's no body drop and by noon the captain has kicked them out for two weeks for a honeymoon and recovery period.

They take advantage of it to walk hand in hand into the morgue. Lanie sees them first and grins

"Well if it isn't Mr and Mrs Castle, what are you two doing here?"

she rushes over and gives Beckett a tight hug then Castle a more gentle one since Beckett filled her in on his injuries. Castle is the one to answer

"Well we saw everyone else when Ryan squealed out that we got married so we wanted to make sure we saw you too"

Lanie leans back against her desk and crosses her arms

"oh so that's what that jumbled message from Esposito was about. Mom... dad... married...alive... yeah he wasn't exactly clear"

The three of them laugh with grins

"well the captain has kicked us out for two weeks so I figure we'll hang out with Alexis and mother for a few days then I'm going to take my bride..."

he grins and gives Beckett a kiss

"up to my place in the Hamptons until Roy decides we can come back. I've had enough flying to hold me for a while, we'll do an out of country trip for the anniversary"

Beckett just smirks as Lanie laughs

"Yeah I bet you have writer man, you take good care of my girl here or I'll make sure I dissect you slowly"

Castle just salutes in response making Beckett slap his hip lightly

"Come on Rick, lets get back to your place before Alexis gets home from school"

Castle responds in a sing-song voice "yes dear" then with a wave they head out of the morgue to start their new lives together


End file.
